Pakistani skipper Babar Azam is standing confidently at number 2 in ICC ODI ratings, as his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli at top of the listing continues to keep his fans waiting for his 71st century. With just a gap of 5 points, it looks like Azam is ready to dethrone Kohli from numero uno position.
Kohli is at 857 rating points while Azam is at 852 rating points in the ICC ODI ratings. Cricket statistician and journalist Mazher Arshad said that Azam needed 70 runs or more in the final ODI against South Africa in order to dethrone Kohli from the numero uno spot.
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In the third ODI, Babar successfully scored those runs and also helped his team give a strong score on board for South Africa. Pakistan scored 320-7 in 50 overs. But Babar got out just six runs short from scoring his 14th ODI century. He scored 94 from 62 balls, hitting three sixes and seven fours. This score might have put Babar at top spot, leading Kohli with one point. ICC, however, is yet to release the updated ranking of ODI scores. Social media instantly flooded with celebratory and congratulatory messages of Azam’s achievement. Fans were happy of Azam bringing end to Kohli’s rein at top. While some also celebrated Babar’s journey from a ball boy to number 1 batsman.